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J. J. HICKS. CLINICAL THERMOMETER.

Patented May 12, 1885.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

JAMES J. HICKS, OF HATTON GARDEN, COUNTY OF MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND.

CLINICAL THERMOMETER.

$PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 317,788, dated May 12,1885.

Application filed January 5, 1885.

ment manufacturer, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inClinical Thermometers, of which the following is a specification.

The invention consists of improvements whereby the user of a clinicalthermometer is enabled immediately to select the right line of View,while at the same time the divisions and figures are also made much moreclearly visible.

My invention is applicable to the lens'front and to other descriptionsof clinical thermometers.

Clinical thermometers as heretofore made have been formed of tubingdrawn with a strip of white enamel along the back of the bore, but withthe remainder of the tube of clear glass. This construction rendered itsomewhat difficult for the user of a clinical thermometer, especiallywhen formed with a lensfront, to select the right line of view,while thedivisions and figures being engraved on the clear glass without anywhite enamel immediately under them it was in some cases difficult tosee such divisions and figures.

According to my invention I form the tubing of which the thermometersare made with a strip of white or colored enamel extending all round theback and sides of the tubing, but

leaving only the narrow lens-front or line of sight of clear glass,thereby enabling the user to at once direct his eyes to the correct lineof View. I also engrave the divisions and figures at the sides of thelens-front 1 orline of sight over the enamel, whereby such divisions andfigures are made much more clearly visible than when engraved on theclear glass without any white enamel under the same.

My invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigures 1 and 2 are cross sections of clinical thermometersrepresenting, respectively, alens-front clinical thermometer and anordinary round-tube clinical thermometer; and Fig. 3 is a face View ofpart of the clinical thermometer shown in section at Fig. 2. Thesedrawings, as will be (No model.)

seen, are made to a very large scale in order to show the inventionclearly.

a represents the body of the thermometer,

which is made of clear glass. bis the bore and c is a strip of enamelextending all around the back and sides of the thermometer, except alongonly a narrow space, 0', which is of clear glass, which forms thecorrect line of sight through which the bore 12 is to be viewed. In Fig.1 this space 0 of clear glass is immediately under the lens-front a and.thereby directs the user to the correct line through which the bore bcan be seen through the lens-front a. In Fig. 2 there is no lens-front;but the space 0 of clear glass also directs the user to the correct lineof sight.

The divisions and figures are engraved on the sides of the line of sightover the white or colored enamel, as shown, or in any other suitablemanner.

In producing tubing to be employed in the manufacture of clinicalthermometers of the character above described, I have found thefollowing method of work to produce good results: The workman takes outof the glasspot on the end of his blow-tube or pontil a suitablequantity of metal, (clear glass.) He then rolls this lump until itassumes somewhat the shape of apear. An iron rodis then dipped into apot containing white or colored enamel, and a suitable quantity ofenamel is taken up on the end of such rod to form a thin coating thereofaround the lump of clear glass. This lump of enamel while in a plasticstate is rolled on a steel plate into suitable form, and while stillconnected with the rod it is flattened by forcing down thereon anothersteel plate. This sheet of enamel is then, if necessary, trimmed toasuitable shape to pass round the lump of clear glass on the blowtube,except along a narrow space longitudinally thereof. The lump of clearglass is then rolled on this sheet of enamel, so as to be cov* eredthereby except along a comparatively narrow line lengthwise thereof. Theentire lump is then reheated, after which it is again rolled on thesteel plate to insure the complete adhesion of the enamel to the lump ofclear glass and to produce the desired shape. After this the workmanblows through the blow-tube into the lump to produce a space ICO glassaround the same.

therein. He then, if necessary, reheats the same and swings it in theair to elongate the glass, and consequently the bore. The bore at thisstage being round, he now proceeds to roll the glass on the steel platetill he reduces the bore to the size desired before flattening the same.To flatten the bore he lays the tube onto a steel plate with its narrowclear face uppermost. He then brings another steel plate down onto theclear face and so flattens the bore that its widest face is seen throughthe face of clear glass. The workman now dips the enamel-coated flattube into the pot containing clear glass and takes up sufficient metalthereon to form a thin coat of clear He then rolls it to make itperfectly round outside, after which he reheats it and the tubing isthen drawn in the usual way.

The process as above described is employed to produce the section oftubing shown at Fig. 2. The same process is employed to produce thesection of tubing shown at Fig. 1, except that just before drawing thetubing the front or face of clear glass is slightly pressed into aV-shaped mold to produce the lens-front. It is then reheated and thetubing drawn therefrom in the usual manner.

Although I have shown and described the enamel as embedded in the glass,and of one color throughout, it is evident that it may be placed on theexterior surface of the thermometer, and that. it may be partly whiteand partly colored, or of different colors, as desired.

' Having thus particularly described and as certained the nature of mysaid invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, Ideclare that what I claim is 1. A glass body having a bore, an enamelstrip extending around the back and sides of the body, concealing thebore, except along a narrow space forming the correct line of sightthrough which the bore is to be viewed.

2. A clinical thermometer comprising a glass body having a bore, anenamel strip extending around the back and sides of the body, concealingthe bore, except alonga narrow space at front about the width of thebore, as magnified, a lens-front to the body, and divisions and figuresat the sides of the narrow space over the enamel strip.

3. A clinical thermometer comprising a body, a, of clear glasssurrounded by enamel 0, extending all around the back and sides of thetubing, except along a narrow space, 0, of clear glass forming thecorrect line of sight through which the bore 12 is to be viewed, andhaving the divisions and figures marked at the sides of such narrowspace 0 over the enamel a, substantially as herein shown and described,and for the purpose stated.

JAS. J. HICKS.

Witnesses:

G. M. WHITE,

23 Southampton Buildings, London. JOHN D. VENN,

9 Gracechurch Street, London.

